Stricter Rules Are Welcome

November 17, 2002

The Florida Keys' underwater reef system is one of Earth's most beautiful, useful and valuable natural treasures.

They are a visual treat for snorkelers, scuba divers and viewers of TV shows and movies filmed underwater. They provide a safe and productive nursery and home for endless varieties of plant and animal life, from corals to sponges to lobsters and fish. They serve as an "early warning" system of environmental threats, and as a vital link in the ocean's and the world's fragile "circle of life."

Now the Keys coral reefs, from Biscayne Bay off Miami to the Dry Tortugas islands west of Key West, have gained important legal protection.

The U.S. government and the International Maritime Organization have properly designated 3,000 nautical square miles as a protective zone to prevent further damage from large oceangoing vessels.

The new zone is called the "Florida Keys' Particularly Sensitive Sea Area." It's the first of its kind in the United States, one of five around the world.

Starting next month, international rules will require ships longer than 164 feet to avoid passing over, or dropping anchor in, certain parts of the zone. Those warnings will be given on new maps and charts distributed worldwide.

This change of rules comes in response to serious damage to the reefs. They have lost 37 percent of their live coral since 1996, mostly due to disease. Also, 10 ships have run aground there since 1984, while anchors have damaged reefs 17 times in five years.

The new Keys zone is a welcome step forward to spread the word around the world that ship captains need to use extra care to protect this vital natural resource.